Understanding the Brain

Dopamine doesn't run on a single track — it moves through four distinct pathways in the brain, and each one produces a very different story when its activity shifts. This episode breaks down the mesolimbic, mesocortical, nigrostriatal, and...

Dopamine is routinely described as the brain’s “pleasure chemical,” but that description leaves out much of the story. Dopamine systems participate in motivation, learning, movement and the prediction of rewards. Researchers have shown that dopamine...

Have you ever suddenly looked across a room and discovered that someone was staring directly at you? It can feel almost supernatural, as though your brain somehow detected another person’s attention before you consciously saw them. But the explanation...

Hidden deep inside the head, a small cluster of control centers decides which of our physical movements and mental impulses actually happen. It acts like a built-in filter, pressing the gas pedal on useful actions while slamming the brakes on...

This episode examines the architecture and physiology of the default mode network (DMN), a large-scale neural network that activates during internally directed cognition and attenuates during externally focused tasks. It breaks down the functional...